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Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Dogfish Head Arrives in KC -- All Because of One Local KC Beer Supernerd!

Posted by
Jay Aber

Dogfish Head beer is coming to Missouri!

Hot on the heels of the last huge announcement in the KC craft beer world of AleSmith coming to town, we have more exciting news. A brewery on par with and AleSmith's quality but with more depth and breadth of brewing, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, just hit the shelves and taps in KC! Many of you no doubt know superstar brewer and owner Sam Calagione from his outsized personality and short lived TV show on the Discovery Channel a couple years ago. Even though the show was only 6 episodes, it left a lasting impression in the US craft beer world, and was one of the few shows about brewing that I've ever actually enjoyed. You should definitely check it out if you haven't yet.

#DFB2KC

This beer release is also special for KC. In a world where it seems like we have less and less of a voice to effect change, this story bucks the trend. The very fact that Dogfish Head is in Missouri at all right now is all a result of the efforts of friend-of-the-blog Skylar Wallace. He started a twitter campaign with this tweet 5 years ago:

@dogfishbeer I have decided to tweet you every day until you bring your beer to Kansas City. You have been warned. #DFB2KC

1600+ #DFB2KC tweets later and Dogfish Head finally announced they're coming to Missouri because of Skylar's efforts. Here's the story in Skylar's own words:

Dogfish Head is in Missouri! What an unbelievable thing to say. I have been tweeting them every day for almost 5 years trying to make this happen. I first caught Dogfish fever when I saw their short-lived show called Brew Masters. Watching Sam Calagione on that show was mesmerizing.

At that time in my life, I was working for a company I hated and didn’t really know what direction I should take in my life. Then I saw this guy who was so unbelievably passionate about what he was doing—I just couldn’t shake it. At that time I wasn’t a big craft beer guy, but I knew that I had to try Dogfish’s beer. That’s when I discovered that they weren’t available anywhere near me—the movement was born.

Skylar and Sam Caligione in 2014

Dogfish took a liking to what I was doing, and about two years into the campaign I was invited to have beer with Sam when he was in KC for a Brewer’s Association meeting. We met at his hotel and drank Deschutes Fresh Squeezed for a few hours. When Sam said goodbye that day, he told me something I will never forget. He said, “What you’re doing is very important. Don’t ever stop pursuing your passion.”

Sam summed up what Dogfish had grown to mean to me—it has never really been just about the beer. It’s about the pursuit of passion. Life is too short to not do what you love. When I saw Sam on Brew Masters, the pursuit of passion is what I really saw.

When I heard that they were officially coming to Missouri, it brought everything home for me. It was the confirmation I needed that hard work and determination truly can make your dreams come true. I almost single handedly brought the 13th largest craft brewery in the country to my state. If that doesn’t inspire you to never quit, I don’t know what will.

So when you finally get to crack open your first Missouri purchased Dogfish beer, savor it. First for Sam and his quest to make great beer, and second for the culmination of my quest to bring this beer home.

Beer Release Details

Eventually Dogfish Head will bring all of their beers to Missouri. With this first shipment, they've sent over 60 Minute IPA, SeaQuench Ale, Saison du BUFF, Palo Santo Marron, and Beer for Breakfast. I haven't had all of these yet, but I can say from personal experience that you should definitely seek out the Palo Santo Marron for a unique and delicious beer, and the 60 Minute IPA is always delicious as well.

As of yesterday, most of the beer-centric bottle shops had Dogfish Head on their shelves. There should be plenty of supply, so you don't have to worry about it selling out and being gone forever. In addition to the retail sales, there are a bunch of release party events scheduled all over the city over the next week with the first one happening tonight at Rock & Run!